Relax
by MyntieBerii
Summary: After a mishap during a mission to collect Innocence, Kanda is angry at Allen and his care-free attitude. Kanda is stressed out, but Allen knows how to make him "relax" a little. AreKan. Rated M for yaoi. Response fic to House Warming by Nina-dieZwillinge


**GAHHH!! I can't believe I'm doing this! Oh gawds, I've wandered into the forbidden. Dare I go further? Yes, I must!! My sister is so much farther ahead than I am. But I won't let her surpass me for long! Which is why...I will attempt to write a response fiction to hers! Oh...but what if her fans turn on me. They can't turn on me!! I'm the closest thing she has to a beta right now!! They should respect me!! But, I have been sort of harsh on her lately...but, it's all for the good...right?**

**-le sigh- Well, here it is...**

**I present to you...the sequal to Nina-dieZwillinge's one-shot House Warming...**

**Relax**

**WARNINGS: This contains FLUFFY GAY MAN LURVIN ((shounen ai))!! Yoo does not want? Yoo goes away, yes?! Good! Also, this is my first BL fic and first D.Gray-Man fic so...please be nice?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, and never will, much to my displeasure, own D.Gray-Man. If I did...people would hate it because I can't come up with a LASTING decent plot, but at least I can draw...kind of.**

The massive doors to Headquarters opened in a panic as a seething dark-haired youth came storming out, fists clenched in annoyance and barely suppressed anger at his sides. Only a few meters behind, a younger looking boy followed out of the large gates before the gate keeper quickly closed the doors again with a 'bang' and resumed cowering.

"Oh, come on, Yuu...it wasn't **that** bad," the young boy called desperately towards his companion, already nearing the exit of the Dark Order's courtyard; which was probably a good 20 or so meters away from the front gates.

_Is he walking away faster?!_, the boy furrowed his brows in what seemed to be a growing annoyance at the other's behavior. He picked up his own pace so as not to be left behind.

"Stupid runt, don't call me that! And yes, Allen, it **was** 'that bad'!" Yuu Kanda stopped abruptly to whirl around and shout back at the fair-haired boy, "The damage you caused to that building is probably costing the Order over two thousand dollars! And that's coming out of **our** budgets, thanks to you!"

With that being said, Kanda absently noticed Allen's person approaching quickly, so he turned around and began walking briskly towards the stairs that led down the enormous mountain that the Dark Order was located on.

_Really...whoever thought it was a good idea to make headquarters on top of a giant mountain top needed to be shot._

Allen Walker barely faltered after that comment, stopping mid-stride, but quickly brushing it off with a small shake of his head then continuing towards his angry comrade with a forced smile, "Okay, okay...so maybe it was...sort of over-kill, but that cathedral would've crumbled anyway if that level two had still survived."

The two exorcists had just returned from a mission in Finland where they were sent to investigate another phenomenon that supposedly was Innocence. The story was that bishops of the Turku Cathedral reported multiple sightings of "twelve female saints" wandering around the north wall of the main body of the building. The bishops told news of the saints coming to protect them from oncoming evil. People reported this to the Dark Order's northern branch in Europe; giving warning of oncoming demons. And so, the Northern Branch requested exorcists come up from Headquarters to investigate. Thus, Allen and Kanda were sent to Finland. Turns out that the "saints" were actually akuma in disguise, no doubt searching for Innocence in the Cathedral.

After hours of battling through the horde of twelve level two akuma, Allen and Kanda beat them down to one. In a desperate attempt to end the battle so they could go home, they were both stressed and tired with the complications of moving into a new apartment, Allen transformed his Innocence into his cannon and fired at the akuma. As expected, the shots hit and took care of the level two, but a few lasers whizzed past the enemy and hit the ancient cathedral with enough force to crumble the entire steeple. The collapse set fire to the church, and destroyed the great building.

Long story short, Kanda chewed Allen out for being so reckless, then later they were both chewed out by Komui back at Headquarters. The bishops of Finland gave the Dark Order a break because they saved them from the akuma, but still had them pay for half of the church's reconstruction. After hearing this, Kanda stormed out of Komui's office in a silent fit.

Allen finally caught up to the taller boy on the long descent of stairs leading back to the main city below. He hated when people, especially Kanda, were mad at him, so his desperation to try and patch things up was starting to show in his voice. He grabbed onto the dark sleeve of Kanda's coat, giving a light tug to catch the other's attention, "It was inevita-."

Kanda stopped abruptly when he felt Allen grab the thick material of his coat. Not wanting to seem startled at all, he quickly whirled around glared angrily into pale eyes and growled, "If you would've let **me** take care of the last one, there wouldn't have been a risk of you missing your target and the church wouldn't have collapsed and we wouldn't have to pay for the damages **you **did!"

Gradually, Kanda's rant of emotion escalated from a normal growl to shouting in the others face. He towered over Allen's smaller frame, eyes wild with rage, chest heaving while trying to regain his breath. Kanda was stressed, sore, and tired, thus making him very irritable. He felt like tearing out his hair when Allen did nothing but blink at him behind raised palms after his little outburst.

Kanda still leaning over him, Allen took a small breath and set a determined look on his face, then spoke quietly, "You were tired. I could tell that you barely kept yourself upright, even while leaning on Mugen."

As expected, the dark-haired youth glared even harder as his face began tinting with red, taking offense that Allen would even suggest that he couldn't fight. Though, in a sense, the boy was right. Allen was tired too, so he attacked from a distance with his cannon so he didn't have to move more than necessary. Kanda was completely exhausted at the end of the fight as well. So it was easy on both of them. But Kanda was embarrassed by being so weak, so he turned away and began stomping huffily down the mountain, his long tresses trailing gracefully behind him. Allen lowered his hands slowly, then sighed. This bickering between the two was beginning to get very old.

Deciding to take a break from arguing, Allen decided it would be best to talk about it later when they got back to the apartment, so the rest of journey down the mountain was spent in uncomfortable silence. He wanted to try and settle things down, but he also knew that if said anything else at this moment, Kanda would start shouting again.

_Maybe if he calms down for a while, we can talk without one of us biting the other's head off... _Allen chuckled quietly into his hand at the amusing mental image of Kanda, literally, biting his head off, but quickly ceased his laughter when Kanda shot him a dark look.

The two young exorcists stood quietly at the side of the road under a small, glass road-side overhang waiting for a taxi. Coincidentally, right as Allen and Kanda reached the town, it began to rain. At first starting as a light shower, the pair traveled closer to their apartment building thinking nothing of it, but the rain began to come down harder. Eventually, it became a relentless downpour, resulting in the two boys having to wave down a cab for the rest of the way. What began as a warm, sunny day changed dramatically, suspiciously similar to how the moods between the two youths changed, into a cold, stormy evening.

Kanda glared forward across the street, his dark bangs clinging wetly to his forehead and cheeks. His coat was drenched during their mad dash towards something to get them out of the rain, thus water soaked into his white, button-up shirt he wore underneath. The water touching his arms, face, and chest sent shivers vibrating through his entire body. Kanda was **not** happy with where this day was heading. With his long hair tangled and knotted in it's ponytail, and clothes sticking to him like a second skin, his body sent off vibes warning everyone that anything could easily set him off.

And Allen felt these vibes. Resulting in him rethinking about trying to attempt "small talk" with his edgy comrade. Gray eyes glanced timidly through equally gray, damp bangs towards the boy next to him. Kanda's bangs hung heavily around his face, hiding his eyes with a curtain of dark strands. Allen felt a sudden urge to lean over the few feet that separated them and brush away those bangs, but controlled himself and clasped his hands behind his back, fearing the worst reaction from the older male would result in his hands being bitten off...along with his head. He felt a tickle in the back of his throat and bottom of his stomach, threatening to break free into another giggle fit. He made a small indignant noise in the back of his throat and ducked his head quickly when Kanda growled and sent him another threatening glare. Still hiding behind his bangs, Allen couldn't help but grin goofily and try to suppress the tremors shaking his body with silent laughter.

Finally, a cab hastily pulled up beside the sidewalk, nearly splashing puddle-water on Allen and Kanda, and unlocked the doors for them to get in. Kanda opened the cab's door and crawled inside, Allen following closely behind. The two uncomfortably soaked exorcists settled onto the leather seats, while Allen told the driver where to go. It was still a good 10 or so minutes before they reached their apartment complex, so they figured they'd get as comfortable as possible for the rest of the ride.

Kanda pressed himself against the opposite door's interior, slouching down in his seat and leaning his head in the corner of the back seat and window. He folded his arms across his waist and closed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh. He was still cold and damp, but the cab's heated air was slowly working it's way into Kanda's coat and warming him up. A small shiver shook his body at the slight change of temperature.

Allen glanced over at the body half-curled up merely a foot way in the seat. Kanda's long legs were sharply bent, resting against the back of the driver's seat. His body was twisted away from Allen, arms folded, leaning towards the window where his head laid lazily against. Allen could barely make out the tired expression on Kanda's face through the reflection on the glass. A sudden tremor rippled up the dark-haired teens back.

Allen smiled weakly at the other, hands folded in his lap, "Sure is cold, isn't it? I sure hope the apartment's not this cold when we get there."

Pale brows furrowed when Allen barely caught the sudden hitch of breath that tensed the back facing him. After a brief pause, Kanda answered him with a quiet, "Mm."

Allen's brow creased in worry as he stared at Kanda's back. The answer wasn't quite so worrying, in fact he hardly expected anything more than that single word. It was the tone that Kanda had said it in. It wasn't an annoyed or angry reply, but more thoughtful and sad.

"Kanda, are you okay?" Allen asked suddenly, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

Kanda bristled at the touch and quickly brushed it off by pulling his arm back, shrugging the hand away. The back of Kanda's arm brushed against his sword, jutting up awkwardly from his hip while leaning against the cab's seat. Allen let his hand rest on the leather seat in between their bodies after being brushed off.

"I'm fine." Kanda growled out, returning his arm back to it's original position across his waist.

Kanda paid close attention to making sure his answer was curt and sounded more annoyed than what he was really feeling. In fact, Kanda felt incredibly anxious. He had been mulling over the idea of paying back nearly two-thousand dollars while also trying to pay rent for his and Allen's new apartment. Kanda wasn't so sure at first on the idea of moving out of Headquarters to live alone with Allen. He wanted to live with him, but he'd been so used to living in a stable environment, he'd almost forgotten about what it was like to live in the world below them. Down there, people weren't just given a free place to stay, they had to work for it and pay so they can live there. And if they didn't, they were kicked out. Kanda didn't want to deal with that sort of embarrassment. He had always been a prideful, independent youth who would take care of himself in no matter what situation. So the idea of going back to the Order for a place to stay would be shameful! The very thought made him nauseous.

But he wouldn't tell Allen. Kanda was never one for sharing his worries either. He'd probably have to see the end of the world coming at him before he shared any of **his** concerns with anyone.

Then again, Allen wants people like Kanda to ask for help and share what's worrying them so much. Allen only wanted to help ease any anxiousness as much as possible. He wanted to be a something like a shoulder people could lean on for support until they could get back on track. Kanda sighed quietly and wrapped his arms tighter around himself.

People like Allen will be his downfall.

For the rest of the ride, Kanda stared with dark, half-lidded eyes out the drizzly window while Allen stared at his back with concerned eyes.

After a long silence reigned over the cab for minutes that seemed like hours, the driver finally stopped beside a sidewalk in front of a tall, brick building. The driver turned in his seat and caught the attention of the two boys in the back seats, "Hey...this is it, right?"

Allen's breath hitched quietly as he blinked his way out of his thoughts. He looked out of Kanda's window and barely recognized the stone tablet above the double-doors indicating the name of their apartment complex. It was getting darker outside, and with the added rain, it only made the day seem like it was later than it really was.

Allen turned his head and smiled at the driver, "Yes, this is it."

Kanda was still slouched against the door while Allen reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He took out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the driver; Kanda immediately sat up and opened the door, stepping out into the pouring rain and walking towards the building.

Allen watched, confused before turning back to the driver wearing a similar expression of puzzlement. Allen flashed a hasty smile, giving the driver his money and moving to exit the cab with a rushed, "Thank you very much. Keep the change."

Once again, Allen was drenched as soon as he stepped out of the taxi's shelter. The rain was loud, pounding down mercilessly against the pavement with heavy drops. He slammed the car's door shut and didn't waste any time to see the cab drive off, as Allen was already running up to the steps leading up to the front doors, intent on catching up with his dark-haired friend.

Hair and clothes became matted against Allen's body when he rushed inside the building in hopes of becoming dry and warm. Unfortunately, Allen received neither, for the rain had soaked through his thick exorcist coat and trapped the cold, wet air inside in a matter of seconds. Not only that, but it seemed as though the landowner hadn't turned on the heat during this mid-autumn day. Allen wrapped his arms around himself and shivered as more cold air assaulted his body. His attention was suddenly redirected though when he heard hallow footsteps ascending the nearby stairs. Allen looked up and caught sight of Kanda's boot leaving the last step.

"Kanda?" Allen called, pushing his cold self to move towards the stairs. His hand instinctively went to the railing, trailing his fingers lightly across the wooden pole as he quickly followed up the steps.

His boots stomped up the stairs as Allen was practically running by the time he left the last step. A long, dark patterned rug ran in front of Allen across the polished wood flooring, stretching to the very end of the hall to his left, as well as his right. Half-way down the right hallway, Allen saw the door slam shut after Kanda just entered their room. The boy began to feel a slight bit of annoyance at his roommates attitude. He was near panting now that he raced up those god-forsaken stairs. Allen was so busy complaining to himself, that he didn't notice how warm he had become.

_This is getting ridiculous..._Allen thought, blowing a stubborn strand of silver hair hanging over his mouth away, before striding over to his apartment. White walls glowed orange with the multiple lights hanging on the walls leading towards Allen's room.

He stopped briefly in front of his door and raised his fist as if preparing to knock. He paused suddenly when he realized what he was about to do.

_What the hell?! This is **my** apartment, I don't have to knock!! _Allen quickly pushed the door open, annoyed with himself that he had even thought about knocking. His mind was definitely somewhere else at the moment.

His eye caught sight of Kanda's wet boots laying down on the mat in front of the door. Allen closed the door behind him and proceeded to take off his own wet boots as well as his coat, but while doing so, his eyes absently traveled about the room, catching sight of another item of clothing that was Kanda's. Kanda's exorcist coat was thrown haphazardly across the back of their small couch in the living room. Allen scowled at this, Kanda wasn't usually one to be messy, he always liked things organized and clean. But there was his coat...thrown on the couch...folded and crumpled like a blanket on an unmade bed.

_He's not in the shower, is he..?_ Allen briefly whined to himself. He hated when he had to wait for Kanda in the shower. Kanda always seemed to pick the times when Allen wanted to talk to him the most to take a shower. And he took forever too!! This little trait annoyed Allen to no end. Kanda did it last time they had a small argument, which, in fact, was only a few weeks ago.

He stalked across the living room and peeked inside of the bedroom, expecting to hear the shower running and half-expecting to see more of Kanda's clothes strewn about the room. But surprisingly, Kanda's clothes were, in fact, not strewn about the room. And even more surprising, Kanda was, in fact, **not** in the shower.

The older boy was laid out in the middle of the large bed on his side, his legs crossed and hanging limply off the edge of the bed. Long, dark hair had come loose from its high ponytail, and was fanned out over his white-clothed shoulder and down his back until it pooled lightly on the blanket underneath. Kanda's shoulders rose and fell with each steady breath as if he were asleep. But Allen knew better. Kanda never falls asleep that fast, and Allen also knew Kanda will often feign being asleep so he can have time to think or...brood...or..whatever. Allen stepped to the side and leaned his back against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. The slightly damp dress shirt Allen wore pressed cold against his chest, giving him goosebumps on his arms, but he paid no mind to that.

Kanda really did looked tired, and stressed too. Gray eyes looked pitifully over the body laying on the bed. He felt bad for Kanda, so Allen tried to help.

"Kanda, do you want something to eat or drink?" Despite whether or not his stomach craved for anything, both exorcists haven't eaten anything since breakfast before they left for their mission together.

He could barely hear the older boy sigh, before catching the slightest shake of his head. Allen smiled down to the floor, then turned swiftly and left to walk into the kitchen.

Kanda didn't want to act so cold. But he really didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment. He was so stressed and worried about the whole ordeal with the cathedral, it wore him out like nothing ever before. And in all, honestly, he felt like throwing up so he didn't dare try to eat or drink anything. When Allen left, Kanda heaved out another sigh and pressed his cheek against the cool fabric of the blanket underneath him. He closed his eyes and thought about how pitiful and helpless he must seem right now. The Kanda of yesteryear would scoff and tell him to "suck it up and do something about it" or "get over it and move forward". But ever since he met Allen and began to grow closer to him, Kanda began to change in ways he would look down upon in other.

_God, I'm such a hypocrite!_ Kanda growled quietly while burying his face further into the blanket.

In the kitchen, Allen had taken to searching for something simple to eat. He wasn't starving for food, for once, and actually felt like just a snack. So he settled for some saltine crackers he found sitting in the cupboard. Allen pulled off his white gloves and sat down on a chair, leaning on his elbows while he ate in silence. He propped his head on his up-turned palm and nibbled a little more on the pale cracker. Desperate to find something to attract his attention before he began thinking about Kanda again, Allen's eyes fell this mornings newspaper. He paused with his cracker to his lips as pale eyes began scanning the front headlines. After a few moments, he placed the cracker in between his teeth and used his now free hand to turn a few pages before returning to nibble on his snack.

Suddenly, a small golden golem floated down in the middle of the paper Allen was reading, and tilted up at him.

Allen blinked, "Timcanpy? Where have you been all day?"

It was then Allen remembered he hadn't seen the winged-creature since they left Finland. Maybe it flew away when Kanda began scolding him. Timcanpy chirped insistently and fluttered it's wings, settling itself down on the newspaper.

Allen scowled at it and grabbed the edge of his paper, pulling up to try and roll the golem off, "Come on, Tim, get off! I was trying to read!"

Timcanpy flapped it's wings in a panic and flew around Allen's head. Seeming satisfied, Allen flattened the paper on the table again, expecting to finish his little alone time with no further interruption. But it seemed as though Timcanpy wanted something from Allen, so the his little companion, once again, plopped itself down in the middle of his newspaper and fluttered its wings.

Allen frowned and slouched forward on the table. "_Whaaat, _Timcanpy..." he whined brushing his fingertips over the golem's smooth wings.

Timcanpy stopped its restless fluttering and laid out its wings, purring graciously with every stroke Allen gave. Allen blinked unhappily at his happy little golem. He sighed and glared half-heartedly at it, "No fair, Tim...you're just using me. Ya know, you're not the only one who could use a good massage..."

Allen froze suddenly as a thought popped into his head. He pushed himself into an upright position and stared down at Timcanpy, who was silently fuming from the loss of attention.

A feral grin sneaked its way on to Allen's lips as he glanced towards the bedroom from the corner of his eye. Timcanpy shivered lightly when its owner's scheming eyes fell back upon it. Allen smiled and stood up, "Sorry, Timcanpy. But it's someone else's turn."

While Kanda was _brooding_, he happened to rearrange himself into a more comfortable position on the bed. For a few minutes, he would be on his side, then he would flip onto his back and stare at the ceiling, then he would turn onto his other side. Eventually, he ended up with his arms cradling his head and body half twisted to the side.

During the time Allen had left, Kanda had concluded that he wasn't mad at Allen. Just frustrated with him. How can someone act so care-free like he didn't have another care in the world? It was crazy. Here Kanda was; fretting over the worst, and then there's Allen; with his reassuring smile like nothing was wrong and everything was in order. Maybe everything really was fine, and he was just paranoid about everything since he got closer to Allen. Ever since they spread news of them moving in together, he suddenly felt like everyone was watching them with scrutinizing eyes. It was unnerving. Maybe it was just all the things suddenly happening at once. Well, whatever it was, it wore Kanda out. After laying down for a while, he was really starting to feel the effects of the battle hours prior. His neck and back were cracking with every subtle shift he put them through, and his shoulders felt like they were on fire. At the moment, all he felt like doing was lying on the soft bed like a statue until his torn muscles healed. But he soon felt himself grow stiff, and switched positions again, so he was facing the wall to the left of the door.

Kanda was near closing his tired eyes when a sudden weight settled to the right of him on the bed.

The dark-haired exorcist visibly tensed when Allen sat down next to his legs on the edge of the bed. Allen smiled softly before placing a warm hand on Kanda's shoulder and rubbing down his upper arm, then back up. Allen watched quietly as the sleeve of Kanda's white dress shirt rumpled when his hand trailed over the cloth.

Kanda's dark eyes went considerably wide as he felt Allen begin to rub his arm. In the back of his mind, he relished the feeling of Allen's warm hand lightly kneading his tense muscles, but on the rational side, Kanda felt anxious all over again like so many times before; when Allen would simply touch him like he was now.

Allen's smile widened slightly as he felt the tense shoulder and arm begin to relax a little more.

_This may not take as long as I thought..._

Allen narrowed his eyes mischievously, smile still playing on his lips, as he became grateful that Kanda was turned away so he couldn't see the strange glint in Allen's eyes.

Kanda could feel the pair of eyes burning into his back, but brushed it off and continued to immerse himself in the pleasant warmth running through his arm.

Deciding it was safe to go a little further, Allen trailed his hand up to the juncture between Kanda's neck and shoulder and gave a light squeeze, feeling the tight muscles under pale skin, "You're really tense, Kanda..."

As Allen squeezed his shoulder again, Kanda involuntarily tensed at the small shock of pain and shuddered at the inhumanly innocent tone of the fair-haired teen's voice. The pit of his stomach twisted strangely as his conscience told him this was taking a turn for the worst, but the signal was faded by the time it made it through the fog in Kanda's mind. He was well aware of where this could go, but decided to push his luck and let Allen continue with his ministrations to Kanda's tired muscles.

Allen moved his hand back a little further down Kanda's shoulder and gave a firmer squeeze. Kanda's breath hitched and eyes flew open as a sharper shock of pain rippled across his shoulder, up and down his neck and arm. When had his eyes fallen closed?

_Ch'...whatever. That hurt..._ Kanda growled quietly and glared when Allen refused to loosen his grip on his shoulder.

Allen smirked when he heard the small rumble coming from the older teen. Finally, he let go and rubbed his hand soothingly over his shoulder, "Does that hurt?"

"Not at all," Kanda quipped, sarcasm dripping off the first word as well as the rest.

Allen laughed quietly, not wanting to shatter the pleasant silence in the room. This plan of his was falling into place easier than the first level of Tetris. Without missing a beat, Allen swiftly moved his hand onto Kanda's back to rub soothing circles over his left shoulder blade, "Sorry...but you really **are** tense."

Allen tactfully perked up his voice as if he suddenly had bright idea, "I've got an idea to help you loosen up."

The sensible part of Kanda's mind, his conscience acting up again, practically gagged over how lame that sounded. "As if I don't know where you're going with this..." it muttered spitefully, while trying to kick Kanda's mind out of the gutter.

Allen stopped rubbing Kanda's back to forcibly push his shoulder forward until it was held down to the bed. Kanda let another surprised gasp escape his lips as he felt himself fall onto his stomach. When Allen leaned over his back, one hand holding down his left shoulder, the other on the bed next to his right arm, he let another low growl rip through his throat as a warning to the young teen.

Allen lowered himself down until his mouth was level with Kanda's ear, his chest mere inches from Kanda's back. He let his breath fan over the pale cheek before whispering sweetly, "How about I give you a massage?"

If Kanda's eyes weren't wide enough already, they had just gotten wider. He suddenly furrowed his brows and glared harshly in the direction of Allen's voice before pulling up his arms and heaving his upper body off the bed with another annoyed growl. He's been growling a lot lately, especially around Allen.

Allen squawked unceremoniously when Kanda's back suddenly collided with Allen's chest. His arms hung limply on either side of the body beneath him, his chin digging in between Kanda's shoulder blades, as he blinked trying to make sense of what had just happened.

_Damn...and it was going so well too. D-Don't give up, Allen...we can still do this,_ Allen mentally chanted to himself, setting his features with determination.

He skillfully maneuvered his hands over Kanda's, hooking his finger's over the other's, and pushed himself up so they weren't flush against each other. Kanda let out the breath he held in the back of his throat when Allen finally lifted himself off. At that moment, Kanda was grateful for his long hair as it fell gracefully in front of his shoulder and face, covering up the light blush dusting across his cheeks. Yes, this has gone on long enough. Kanda was about to quit this little game he'd gotten himself into when he suddenly felt Allen trying to push him down again. He locked his arms so he could prevent that from happening again.

"Come on, Kanda. You're tired and sore. It'll feel good and you'll thank me for it tomorrow when your shoulders and back aren't aching like you dropped a fifty-pound weight on them," Allen pressed insistently.

_Somewhere **else** will be sore if we go your way... _Kanda thinks resentfully with dark humor.

"You're tired too, why aren't you bugging **me** to give **you **a massage?" he retorts back, embracing anything that came his way that would help him out of this predicament.

Allen frowned at that, "Because you wouldn't do it anyway, even if I asked. And besides, I'm not very sore at all. **I** wasn't the one swinging a sword around all day."

The persistent boy tactfully blew out a cold gust of air onto the back Kanda's bare neck, earning a shiver vibrating up and down Kanda's spine in response. While he was distracted, Allen guided one hand up to the joint in front of Kanda's elbow and pressed his arm inward. As soon as he felt Kanda lean forward, he used the momentum to shift his weight onto that side; resulting in Kanda, once again, falling onto the springy mattress with a breathy "oof."

When Kanda felt Allen's weight lean over his back again with his wrists now caught in the other's steel grip, his brain switched into 'Panic' mode; which, by the way, consisted of Kanda doing anything and everything in his power to struggle and escape whatever potential danger he was in. Instinctively, he began trying to slip his wrists free while also trying to twist his body onto his back so he could knee Allen in the stomach.

Allen's brow creased in agitation when Kanda began to struggle, he leaned down to speak softly into the other's ear.

"Relax, I won't do anything; if that's what you're thinking. It's just a massage," Allen then smiled and pressed his lips lightly into Kanda's hair before continuing in a suggestive tone, "I promise."

Kanda blushed even more and ducked his head, partially to try and hide his face further and partially to try and get away from Allen's lips. He jerked his head to the side slightly as he scoffed, _Yeah...your promises to me are worth less than shit by now..._

Kanda had to suppress a dark chuckle after reminiscing about all the past "promises" Allen gave him. But Allen, taking the lack of response as an affirmative "fine-whatever-go-play-in-traffic-I-couldn't-care-less", grinned happily and resumed, placing his hands on Kanda's shoulders while moving one leg over his back, straddling his hips. Kanda bristled, but stayed still and didn't try to get up again.

He began with wide, tentative circles over each shoulder blade, pressing down his fingertips lightly against the white shirt so as to find the sore points without causing Kanda any excruciating pain. After a few quiet minutes of that, Allen moved to his shoulders and gave soft squeezes at the corner of Kanda's neck and shoulder while rubbing back and forth. Gradually, the resistant teen began to relax and become more welcoming of Allen's soothing touches to his back and shoulders. Kanda sighed and closed his eyes as Allen scooted a little further down his body to work on his back. It was nice; Allen really did give a good massage. Kanda needed this too. Allen could probably sense the stress and tension coming off in vibes during their ride home.

Allen smiled thoughtfully down at his hands kneading over the cloth and skin covered muscle of the swordsman's back. But Allen's mission, when did it become a 'mission'?, wasn't completed yet. No, he was barely skirting across the half-way line, and he wasn't about to take a little coffee break this far into the battlefield. Yes, dealing with Kanda is like crossing a battlefield intent on passing enemy lines. One wrong step could result in one being shot down. So, to try and get Kanda to change with the mood of the room, Allen decided to engage in some small talk.

"So, about earlier...do you feel like telling me why you were so edgy?" Allen asked curiously before adding, "It couldn't just be because I took down that cathedral."

Kanda reopened one eye and gazed solemnly at the wall while the other side of his face buried further into the blanket. Eventually, he let out a sigh and decided to humor the boy while the mood was still light, responding to Allen's last comment, "Not entirely."

Allen narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared down at Kanda, before asking back in a flat tone, "Care to elaborate on that one?"

This time, Kanda actually laughed quietly for a few moments before explaining further. Allen smiled at the sound; he liked it when Kanda laughed. It was always so...sincere and not forced the rare times he had heard it.

"It's more so..." Kanda paused, trying to put his thoughts into words, "...the **consequence** of you taking down that cathedral."

Allen had to think a little bit after that, but it came to him quickly, why Kanda was so anxious, more so than edgy, "Ah...I see, now." Allen's lips held a small smile as his gaze drifted to the side in thought.

Kanda wished at that moment he could see Allen's face, just to make sure that reassuring smile of his was still in place. After hearing the sympathetic tone of his voice, Kanda's lips fell into an insecure frown, "You know we don't have enough money right now...with just moving into a new apartment and all..."

Allen mused for a moment, staring blankly down at his still-moving hands. Kanda was worried about the debt they needed to pay back; he had a right to be worried. They had **just** gotten settled in and now another dilemma is dropped on them. Allen had also thought about how they were going to pay it all back. In the end, He decided that he would later talk to Komui and work out some sort of deal with the Dark Order and the bishops of Finland.

He gave a confident squeeze to one of Kanda's shoulders before smiling brightly, "That's **it**?" Allen laughed lightly before continuing, "And I thought you were really angry at me for getting you in trouble with Komui."

Kanda's eyes widened in surprise but also felt great relief. Allen was still as sure as ever, and that made Kanda feel more secure too. He listened, relief washing over him with every word Allen spoke, "Listen, in the next few days, we'll find time to talk with Komui and try to work out something that works for us, the Order, and those prickly bishops. Sound good?"

Kanda cracked a tiny smile and nodded. Allen's smile broadened, "And hey...we're in this together now, so don't worry so much about stuff by yourself. Or else your hair will fall out when your 25."

Allen chuckled as he tugged lightly on the ends of Kanda's dark locks, earning a feral growl in response. There's another one...what are we at now...five? Kanda eventually became half-awake under Allen's hands constantly working out the knots and sore spots on his shoulders and back. His dark eyes had once again slid shut as he brought his arms up to cradle his head, while indulging in the pleasurably warm feeling.

Apparently, Kanda became so lost that he had yet to notice how low Allen's hands were going. Allen watched himself work, eyes narrowed mischievously and smirk tugging at his lips, as his hands discreetly pulled Kanda's dress shirt out from being tucked into his black slacks. He knew it was a little..._wrong_ to take advantage of Kanda like this, but really was no other way. Like he's said before, _"The trick with seducing Kanda is to get it done quickly before he realizes what's happening."_

Yes, things were definitely going his way this time around. Allen leaned forward, hands still working Kanda's lower back, until his mouth was once again conveniently placed next to Kanda's ear, "Does it feel good?"

Kanda, who was still half-awake, opened his eyes slightly and mumbled gruffly, "Mm-hm."

Allen pressed his lips onto the shell of Kanda's ear, eliciting a sharp intake of air from Kanda's lips, before continuing again in a sultry whisper, "Good."

It was at that moment, Kanda's shirt had finally been pulled up, allowing Allen to slip his hands underneath the thin fabric.

Dark eyes flew open impossibly wide as soon as he felt those nimble fingers touch his bare skin beneath his shirt. His skin burned wherever Allen's curious touches landed on his sides and lower back. Suddenly, the temperature, whether it was him or the room; he couldn't tell, rose dramatically and Kanda had the familiar feeling of not being able to breath correctly, consequently leaving him...breathless. He shut his eyes tightly while fisting the bed sheets and buried his face into his arms to try and muffle his uneven breathing.

"...Allen..stop..." Kanda breathed desperately. He didn't want to get into this again. Allen tried it on him nearly twice already in one week.

Allen moved his lips to Kanda's cheek and held them there while his fingers worked their way up Kanda's torso in the same leisurely circles, "No...I think you need to learn how," Allen smiled as he heard how Kanda was practically panting, but found dissatisfaction in the fact that the sound was muffled and he couldn't see the lovely blush that most definitely painted itself across the older boy's face, "..to relax."

Deciding to take things up a level, Allen removed his hands from under the shirt and pushed himself up and off of Kanda's warm body. He then grabbed Kanda's shoulders and proceeded to turn him onto his back. Kanda's arms fell above his head as wide, obsidian eyes, glassy and clouded with insecurity and passion, stared up into clear, determined gray. His chest rose and fell rapidly as if he had just ran two miles as fast as he could. Suddenly, the room seemed to become a little too small and constricting as the heat rose another few degrees. Allen smirked after his brief moment of breathlessness, then quickly leaned down and caught Kanda's parted lips in a fervent kiss.

After finally seeming to get his breathing under control, Allen proceeded to knock the breath out of Kanda once again. His eyes slid shut again as Allen's arm came behind his head to tangle his fingers into inky, black hair, holding him in place. When Allen's tongue began to press insistently against his own, he moaned quietly and brought his arm up to wrap around Allen's neck and the other hand to play in short, silver locks. Lost in their kiss, Kanda failed again to notice his partner messing with his white dress shirt.

While Allen continued to kiss Kanda relentlessly, only breaking shortly for air, he also busied himself with unbuttoning the other's shirt. Allen gave silent thanks to God that the buttons were not being stubborn the one rare success, of many recent failures, where he actually got this far with the stoic young man. Usually, someone or something will do everything and anything in its power to bring Kanda crashing back down to earth before Allen can finish; resulting in some sort of rebound aimed towards the latter.

_But not this time_, Allen thought happily as he finished getting the last button undone on Kanda's shirt, immediately returning his hands to trail over the taught stomach and chest. Somewhere along the lines, Kanda had pulled loose the dark red ribbon of satin that usually kept itself in a neat bow around Allen's neck. Now it hung limply in front of his shoulders as Kanda continued working at getting the bottom half of Allen's shirt undone.

Allen suddenly released his hold on Kanda's mouth to trail his lips down his neck stopping occasionally to bite or suck at the juncture of the shoulder, where his hands were kneading only minutes before, leaving dark marks in its wake.

Kanda gasped and panted, eyes screwed shut, when Allen stopped to give attention to a vein in his neck, hands still trailing frantically up and down his sides, "Allen..nn..."

A strange tension began in Kanda's stomach that only continued to coil tighter the longer he and Allen kept up their little act. It was beginning to become unbearable; Kanda felt like screaming, but restrained his urge by biting down on his bottom lip.

And then, through all the noise of blood rushing through their veins and gasping and panting, they heard their front door open.

At that moment, all movement froze as they heard a boisterous voice echo into the room through the door that wasn't entirely shut, "Hey, Beansprout! I heard you wiped out a church!!"

Allen twitched at the nickname Lavi had graciously picked up from Kanda. And if Kanda had been in any other situation, he would've snickered at how quickly his friend had adopted it. But Kanda didn't laugh, he was too busy processing what was happening before they were, _ahem_,interrupted. Allen blinked, then laughed weakly and smiled down at Kanda, "I guess I forgot to lock the door when I came inside..."

The older boy's horrified eyes suddenly became narrowed and dark.

Lavi had recently heard what happened during Allen and Kanda's latest mission in Finland. Though they did end up retrieving Innocence, they also ended up destroying a great cathedral. After hearing this, Lavi grinned and left immediately to give Allen and Kanda a hard time.

When he reached their apartment, after multiple times of asking neighbors, he simply entered without announcing his entrance upon seeing the door unlocked. Lavi never really got the hang of manners when he was young.

After his greeting, the red-head grinned and waltzed over to the couch, waiting for them to storm out and lecture him about telling them in advance when visiting.

Sure, Kanda **says** that they only want to clean up before any company arrives, but he knows what's really going down. Which is why he **doesn't** announce when he comes over until he's already there. After a few seconds of silence, Lavi quirks an eyebrow at the sudden rush of noise coming from the bedroom. He peeks over into the hall and sees the door cracked open slightly.

_WHUMPH!_

"**AUGH!! **Wh-what was-"

"**STUPID BEANSPROUT!!"**

As if on cue, a certain pissed-off exorcist storms out of the bedroom and approaches its occupant, "Lavi!!!" Kanda grabbed the grinning boy by the collar and lifted him off the couch before bringing him close to his own face and continuing in a darker tone, "I thought I told you to **call** before coming over...or did you forget?"

"Hmmm..." Lavi hummed to himself as if thinking about it, just to piss Kanda off, while looking him up and down. Yes, it definitely would've benefit them if he had called, with what they were just doing. Kanda's long hair was tangled and tossed around his head His face was flushed, lips slightly swollen, and his shirt was also left open, revealing his panting chest and numerous dark marks running along his neck and shoulder. Lavi didn't need to look below the waist to know what was going on in that bedroom.

He let loose a wide, all-knowing smirk as he brought his emerald eyes back up to Kanda's, "And this is the reason I won't call..."

Kanda's face blanched as his infuriated expression fell to one of disbelief and horror at his friends words. He could feel the blood beginning to creep up his marred neck once more intent on dying his face another shade of red.

Allen suddenly stumbled out of the bedroom, holding his bruising stomach. His appearance also didn't make the situation at hand any better. Allen's hair was tossed up even more so than Kanda's, and his untied ribbon along with half-buttoned shirt only amused Lavi more.

Allen blushed lightly when he saw Lavi giving him a suggestive look from behind Kanda, "L-Lavi...wh-what are you doing here? Did you call?"

Kanda twitched, tightening his grip on Lavi's collar. The grinning red-head was about to answer, but Kanda's fist connected with his cheek and sent him flying to the left, "**I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!**"

"K-Kanda! Calm down!!"

"Yeah, just rela-!!"

"Shut up now, Lavi, or I will tear off your mouth!!"

"Kanda, put down your sword! You'll break something!!"

"You be quiet too!!"

**A/N: There it is!! Done, finally!! I'm so happy, I really liked how this turned out!! Please leave reviews so I can know how I did!! And thank you for reading! By the way, if you haven't yet, I highly suggest you read Nina-DieZwillinge's House Warming as that was sort of my inspiration for this!! Thanks again!! --Berii**


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